


Peace is a Lie

by Guardian_of_Hope



Series: A Convergence of Power [6]
Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Angst, Canon Divergence, F/F, Harry's First Year At Hogwarts, Harry's back on Earth, Humor, Jedi Harry Potter, Molly's Squib Cousin is a Girl, Original Potter family members, magic is a wonderful thing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:00:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29105247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Guardian_of_Hope/pseuds/Guardian_of_Hope
Summary: Harry has returned to Earth and the intrigue starts the moment he wakes up.  Who is Abby Potter?  Why is Dumbledore after him?  Who can he trust?With his first year approaching fast, Harry has a lot to learn about the world he's found himself in, and he has a lot to deal with from his past.
Relationships: Andromeda Black Tonks/Ted Tonks, Original Female Character/Original Female Character
Series: A Convergence of Power [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1142228
Comments: 8
Kudos: 29





	1. St Mungos

**Author's Note:**

> Short list of Things To Know:
> 
> Abby Potter is James's cousin. I twisted the Potter Family tree to give Fleamont a brother. I wrote her background down, intending to put together an intro to what she was up to during the late seventies and early eighties and got side tracked into a write up of Abby, her parents, and paternal grandparents. If you're curious, I could be convinced to make it available at some point.
> 
> Miranda Prewitt is Molly's squib cousin. We'll go into this more further on in the story, of course, but I'll just chuck that out there early on.
> 
> This story covers Harry's first year at Hogwarts at minimum. I don't know how long it will be just yet.
> 
> I was asked what Harry knows about what happened with Order 66, and the answer is... everyone died because they were betrayed. That's it, that's all he knows. Eventually he will learn more about it, but it will NOT be related to the movies.

Harry becomes aware of his surroundings long before he becomes aware of his body in any meaningful way. It’s a state of being he learned and perfected from years of meditation. Here, it allows him to observe his surroundings. He is in what is clearly a hospital, but it is a strange place. There is no bacta, no medical machines, and all the beings he sees are clearly human. There is a sense of purpose to the place, but also an underlying hum of power unlike anything he’s ever sensed before.

As he pulls his awareness in, he studies his room. It is private, and there is a man standing outside, like a guardian. Inside are three women. One of them has bright copper hair that is cut above the shoulders and styled into a wave around her face. Her freckles are barely visible beneath a layer of make up and she is dressed in a black skirt and a bright green jacket with a white shirt underneath. She sits by his bed with a file folder in hand.

The second is wearing a similar outfit, but it is a ridiculous shade of pink that actually compliments her olive skin tone, but which seems to wash out her silver-grey eyes. Her black hair is long and curly, and pulled back into a half-tail. She is speaking with the third, who has similar eyes and equally dark hair, but her features are more, something, aristocratic maybe. She wears horrible lime green robes with a coat of arms on the left breast.

Before Harry could complete his return to self, he becomes aware of someone approaching. Someone powerful. Someone who feels dangerous.

“Danger’s coming.”

He wasn’t aware that he’d spoken aloud until someone responded, “I’m sorry?”

Harry opened his eyes, “Trouble’s coming. In the lift.”

“Do you know where you are?” That was the woman in the robes.

“Healers,” Harry replied, his voice cracking and dry now that the warning had been given. “Not the Halls.”

“This is St Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies,” The woman replied as she picked up a cup from the table by the bed and held it so he could drink from the straw. “I am your Healer, Andromeda Tonks.”

“Trouble’s at the door,” Harry said after he swallowed.

There was a sharp rap on the door and all three of the women looked from him to the door.

The red head stood up, coming around the bed to stand at the foot of it. Her hands were crossed in front of her and her shoulders squared. The black haired woman moved to stand out of the line of sight of the door, drawing a thin stick of wood as she did, lifting it up into a defensive position.

Andromeda Tonks took a similar stick and gripped it in her right hand as she went and opened the door. She glanced out, and then her shoulders tensed. “Chief Warlock, what brings you to St Mungos?”

“I was informed that Harry Potter was here,” a genial, older male voice replied.

There was a series of speaking glances between the other two ladies and while the black haired lady lowered the stick, she didn’t put it away.

“I can neither confirm nor deny the identity of any patient at St Mungos as per our confidentiality rules, as I’m sure you are well aware. Furthermore, as you are neither a Healer nor a relative of the patient in _this_ room, you may not enter. Also as per hospital rules. I am in the middle of a medical exam, so I strongly suggest you depart. You have a school to run, after all.” Andromeda stepped back, shut the door firmly and tapped it with her wand.

“Andy, that was glorious,” the black haired lady murmured as the feel of the room shifted.

Harry looked around, wondering why it felt like a shuttle when the airlock was properly sealed.

“It won’t hold him for long,” Andromeda said, “he’ll be off to the hospital administrator next.”

“You won’t get in trouble, will you?” The red head asked.

“No more than I am already,” Andromeda replied, “and I’ve already taken off for your anniversary party. Ted will understand.”

“Excuse me,” Harry said, “but who are you and how do you know who I am?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” the black haired lady smiled. She glanced at Andromeda, who nodded. “I’m Abby Potter. I’m your cousin, well second cousin to be precise. According to your parents’ will, I am supposed to be your legal guardian and the Steward to the family finances. This, this is Miranda Prewitt, my wife.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Harry nodded at the red haired lady. “And how do you know who I am?”

“Well, magic,” Andromeda said, “a charm gave us your legal identity.”

Harry tilted his head, “Okay.” He glanced around, “does the bed sit up? It’s uncomfortable to have this conversation flat on my back.”

“Unfortunately,” Prewitt said, “this is the magical world, and they never heard of a Muggle advancement they didn’t immediately denounce.”

“We’ll have to use pillows,” Andromeda said, “although carefully. Your back is healing nicely.”

“Right,” Harry nodded, as he remembered what had happened, “I got shot.”

Potter snorted and laughed, “That, that right there, that is absolutely proof of your parentage.”

“The furry little problem?” Prewitt asked as she reclaimed her seat.

“Exactly,” Potter nodded.

It was reassuring to see the easy connection between the two women, and while Tonks gave _him_ an unamused raised eyebrow that somehow reminded him of Master Sarisa, she gave _them_ fond smiles. Then Potter and Tonks both retrieved their sticks and pointed at him.

“What the _fuck?”_ Harry demanded, jerking upright and ready to dive off the bed. His back muscles pulled and he shunted the pain off in preparation for dodging.

“Harry!”

Tonks lowered her wand as she dashed across the room and grabbed him. “Do not move, you’re still healing.”

“And language, young man,” Potter added sharply.

“You hold those sticks like they’re weapons and you don’t expect me to _react_ when you _point them at me?”_ Harry retorted, allowing Tonks to resettle him on the bed.

“They’re wands,” Potter said.

“Is that some slang for a short length of wood?” Harry replied.

“You know about magic, but not about wands?” Prewitt said.

“I’ve been told it exists,” Harry offered, “and I may or may not have turned an idiot’s hair purple once, and orange, and blue.” He paused, “No, wait, the blue was hair dye.” He paused again, turning his face away and glancing back from the corner of his eye, “And I may or may not have blown something up once cause I was frustrated.”

“Ah, accidental magic,” Potter said.

“I’m pretty sure the blowing up part was more deliberate than an accident,” Harry replied.

“It’s what we call untrained magic,” Tonks said, “mostly it’s in response to a child’s emotional state, although I know one of my grandfathers nearly burned down his bedroom in a fit of rage when he was in his eighties, so there’s that.”

“So, is this the time I should ask why being eleven is so important in magical training?” Harry asked, “Cause I was told to ask.”

“It has to do with the development of your magic,” Tonks said.

“But this might not be the time,” Prewitt cut in. “If someone’s already telling tales to Dumbledore enough for him to not only know to seek you out, Andy, but what room to go to, we may not have much more time.”

“Alexander is already with Child and Family Services,” Potter said, “but she’s right.”

“Who is Dumbledore?” Harry asked.

“Trouble,” Tonks said, “he’s a very powerful man in the government and he wants control over you, Merlin knows why.”

“But I’m your cousin,” Potter said, “and we’ve already established my guardianship years ago, so he’ll have to go through certain channels on the matter, which gives us time.”

“How do I know you’re my cousin?” Harry asked.

Potter raised her eyebrows, “Mostly because of the identity charm and the fact that I know my blood lines.”

“No, that’s how _you_ know that _I_ am your cousin. How do _I_ know that _you_ are my cousin?” Harry replied. “How do I know you aren’t going to just take me somewhere and kill me?”

“Ever heard of looking on the bright side?” Prewitt asked.

Harry stilled, “I was shot in the back by people who were supposed to be my protectors and allies. Tell me again that I’m paranoid.”

The three exchanged long, speaking looks, and Tonks nodded slightly, “Well, I can prove that she’s related to you, but anything more than that would have to be done elsewhere, by law.”

“Okay,” Harry said.

“Abby and I are cousins,” Tonks continued, “my father and her mother were first cousins, where her father and your grandfather were siblings. So this spell will react to both.” She raised her wand and moved it between her and Potter in a specific pattern. They both glowed a light green. “Now, Miranda and I are very distantly related. Our closest tie is that her cousin married the grandson of my great-aunt.” She waved her wand again, and the light was a very distinctive red.

“Okay,” Harry said again.

“Now for you and Abby,” Tonks said. She waved her wand, and Harry paid attention to make sure that she didn’t change the pattern.

The aura was the same light green. Tonks cast the spells for herself and Prewitt, and while Prewitt was red, the aura between Tonks and Harry was blue.

“What does that mean?” Harry asked.

Tonks frowned, her lips pursed, “It means that we have a magical connection, albeit not a direct one. The only possible,” she trailed off, “Sirius.”

“What?” Potter said.

“Sirius is Harry’s godfather,” Tonks said.

“Yes,” Potter said.

“His _magical_ godfather,” Tonks continued.

“As I’ve told you,” Potter replied. Tonks sank down on the chair that Potter had been using earlier, looking pale. “Oh,” Potter said, “now you believe me.”

“Abby,” Prewitt said. “Maybe have it out with her later?”

“What’s a godfather?” Harry asked.

All three of them turned to stare at him and Harry looked back, “What?”

“Okay,” Prewitt said, “Andy, Abby, you go have a conversation in the corner about Sirius and whatever else is percolating in between you. I’ll handle this.”

Harry watched the pair retreat before turning to Prewitt, “Mrs. Prewitt.”

“Call me Miranda,” Prewitt said with a smile, “may I call you Harry?”

Harry nodded, “Sure.”

“Thank you,” Miranda said. “A godparent is a person chosen by parents to be a dedicated mentor, and even a guardian for their child. In the magical community, godparents can be bonded to their godchildren, which makes them dedicated protectors as well. A magically bonded godparent is a neutral party for the child, someone they can go to with things they can’t tell their parents for whatever reason.”

“And this Sirius?” Harry said.

“Sirius Black, third of his name, is your godfather and Andy’s cousin. He was also implicated in the events surrounding your parents’ deaths and murder and therefore is serving time in prison. That situation is very complicated, but what is important here is that Abby has said numerous times that Sirius was your magically bonded godfather, and most people doubt that.”

“Why?” Harry asked.

“Because Sirius and James were practically brothers,” Miranda said. “A lot of people didn’t believe Sirius would agree to put anyone before James. Especially given that your godmother wasn’t magically bonded to you before she passed away. The thing is that all the things that Sirius supposedly said and did when your parents died, the things he was accused of, if he was your magically bonded godfather, he would have been very, very dead.”

“People wanted someone to blame,” Harry nodded, “and if there was no way to prove the bond, then he was a convenient target.”

“Dumbledore took you from your parents house the night they died and secreted you away where no one could find you and refused to let anyone meet with you, so doing the bond-test was impossible, and the paperwork on the ritual was either destroyed when your home was or locked into the family vaults which were sealed after they died.” Miranda nodded. “The catch to all this is that Sirius was also accused of committing an act of terrorism and mass murder, by targeting a gas line on a muggle street and causing the death of thirteen people, including another friend of the family who witnesses claimed accused him of betraying your parents.”

Harry nodded, his mind whirling on the matter, “I need to think about this,” he murmured to let Miranda know he had understood what she’d told him. He gestured to the files she was holding, “So, what do you do?”

Miranda smiled, “I’m an accountant and financial advisor. I help people manage their wealth and plan for retirement.”

“Oh,” Harry said.

“It can be as boring as it sounds,” Miranda said, “but sometimes you meet some interesting people.”

“One of the royal family tried to hire her to be their personal financial advisor last year,” Potter said, “that was funny.”

Harry really needed to get his hands on some history and government books, but instead looked at his cousin, “Did you get everything sorted out?”

“We did, for now,” Potter agreed.

“Harry,” Andy said, “I have one more application of the burn cream for your back to apply in one hour, and then you can be released. As Abby has your guardianship for the moment, you’ll be leaving with her. You’ll be taking with you a few potions to take. One of them, you’ll take with breakfast, and it’s a vaccine potion that will boost the vaccines you were given as a toddler to bring them up to the strength they need to be. You’ll take that one for a week. The second potion is to be taken in the evening, it’s a second vaccine potion, to encompass some vaccines you did not receive and should have. It’s going to make you sleepy, so take it right before bed. The last one is a bone health potion that you should take with supper. At some point, you broke your collar bone and shoulder bone and while they healed, this potion will strengthen them back to pre-break condition.”

Harry nodded, “All right, I can work with that.”

“Once you’ve gotten the last of the balm, we’re leaving,” Potter said. “I have the legal right to do so, and my lawyers are working to keep it that way, but I don’t trust people around here, not after Dumbledore showed up this morning.”

“And you probably have a lot more questions,” Miranda said.

“I look forward to finding out all the answers,” Harry replied, “but if it’s not too much trouble, I’m a bit hungry.”


	2. The Strange Familiar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is freezing cold here, thanks Winter Storm Uri, but here's a bit of self reflection on their way to the next bit of trouble.

When asked, Tonks had left the room and found a book entitled _A History of Magic_ for Harry, allowing him something to learn something about his new community while they waited out the hour before the next application of salve to Harry’s back. Miranda had turned back to her files while Potter had had a quiet conversation with Tonks. Harry had watched them, and noted the shimmer in the air around them, like a heat wave.

“Privacy spell.”

Harry glanced at Miranda, who gave him a little half spell. “That’s a privacy spell you’re seeing. Not so much against us, as against any unwelcome visitors.”

“What do you mean?” Harry asked.

“Well, we’ve been careful to make it difficult for someone invisible to get in, but there’s also Animagus.”

“Ani-what?” Harry said.

“Animagus,” Miranda repeated, “witches and wizards who have gone through a complicated ritual to assume the form of an animal. A rat or a bug could get in here and we’d never notice.”

Harry tilted his head as he carefully lowered his mental barriers enough to reach out with the Force, “Do Animagus keep their ability to think human thoughts?”

“Yes,” Miranda said, her eyebrows going up.

“No one in the room, but there’s someone outside,” Harry said, turning his head to the door. “They really want in this room.”

“How do you know?” Miranda asked.

“I can sense them,” Harry replied, “No, her. Definitely her.” He glanced from Potter and Tonks to Miranda, “That’s not a magical thing, is it?”

“Not that I know of,” Miranda said, “from what I understand, even a Legilimens needs to see their target, if not making eye contact.”

“Oh,” Harry said. He filed the term away as being useful for later and quickly threw together a cover for what he could sense as his instincts warned him this was a moment for caution and discretion. “I can sense, well, the presences of thoughts and emotions. People, they make an impact on the world, and I was taught how to be aware of that.” He frowned a little, realizing he might be overselling what he could do. “It’s tiring though. I have to focus to be aware of them.”

“Well,” Miranda said, “for now, that’s something useful to tell Abby and Andy, if you’ll excuse me.”

Harry nodded, and brightened a little as he realized there was another thing he could do to help sell his alternate abilities, at least until he could figure out why he was being urged not to say more. “Sure. Maybe after we leave you can help me find a few books on being a Legilimens? Maybe that’s what I can do.”

“Sure Harry,” Miranda said, “I’ll see what I can find for you.”

“Thank you,” Harry replied, turning back to the book.

“Harry,” Tonks said a few minutes later, approaching the bed with a wary expression, “you said-“

“She’s still out there,” Harry replied, looking up. “She stopped moving around about a minute ago when a trio of people came down the hall, but she hasn’t gone more than two meters from the door. I can’t pick up much more than that, but she’s very intent on that door.” He nodded to it.

“Andy,” Potter said, “there’s no harm in taking precautions.”

“Right,” Tonks said, “I’ll go ask some questions, and see what I can find out about our visitor.”

“Across the hall to the left, about one meter from the door. Look up,” Harry told her.

“I’ll be back,” Tonks told them.

They watched Tonks leave and after a few minutes, another person stuck their head in the door. “Please remain inside here for now. There has been an attempt to gain access to the ward.”

“Did you catch them?” Potter asked.

“We did not,” the man replied, then left.

“Good job Harry,” Potter said.

“Thanks Mrs. Potter,” Harry replied.

“Please, call me Abby,” Potter replied.

Harry gave her a brief smile before turning back to his book.

///…\\\\\

“All right,” Tonks said as slipped back into the room. “I spoke with my supervisor, and there was a leak. The press know we have a child who might be Harry Potter in St Mungos. Healer Selwyn agreed to let you use a private Floo connection to get out of here, the question being where do you want to go?”

“Well, there are a few options for that,” Abby said, glancing at Harry.

Harry raised his eyebrows at her, wondering what that was about.

“I need to pick up a few things from Hogsmeade and head home, so if I could flew up to the Hogsmeade public station, I’ll make my way from there.” Abby said.

“If we can get Harry some Muggle-passing clothes, I intend to take him home via train,” Miranda said. “We’ll Floo to the Leaky Cauldron and catch a taxi from there to St Pancreas. That will throw off people looking for him in the magical world, even if it takes longer. I need to get the car from the station anyways.”

“All right, we can do that,” Tonks said. “All right Harry, are you ready for me to finish this?”

“Yes Healer Tonks,” Harry said, shifting on the bed so that she could reach his back.

“I should tell you to call me Andy,” Tonks said as she began rubbing something cold on his side just under his ribs.

“With all due respect, madam,” Harry said, “but I wouldn’t dare. Not when you’re acting as my Healer. Master Sarisa would…” he paused, swallowed, “she’d rise up from the dead and murder me if I didn’t.” He blinked, trying to force back tears at the sudden memory.

“Harry?” Abby asked.

“Sorry,” Harry said. “There was so much happening, I- I don’t think.” He stopped, struggling to control himself, to speak words that suddenly caught in his throat. Abby moved over so she could sit on the edge of the bed and rest her hand on his knee. “Sorry,” he managed. “It was, it happened so fast, I don’t think anyone really realized it was happening. They just, there was an order, and they just opened fire.” All his hard-won control wavered, and he lost the battle as tears started to slip down his cheeks. “It was so sudden, it wasn’t,” he blinked, looking up to meet Abby’s eyes, “it wasn’t natural. I’m not, I’m not like Master Plo or Master Kit, I don’t have that kind of awareness of a person’s direct thoughts, but the comms said something about an execution order, and they went from being, well, the men I trusted to guard my back to being, like they were dead inside. They just, they heard the Order and opened fire like they’d never.”

“It’s okay,” Abby said, pressing a finger to his lips. “I get it. You don’t have to talk about it right now.”

Harry tried to smile but gave up when his lips started to tremble. Instead he stared at his hands to give himself time to regain his control. For a long moment, he tried reciting the Jedi Code as a focus for his breathing but faltered when the words that had once comforted him failed to help him this time. Instead, he mentally recited a poem that Dani had read to the clan when she was guiding them through meditation which helped a lot. After finishing a second recitation, Harry realized that Tonks wasn’t touching him anymore. He turned to look at her and she gave him a too wide smile.

“All done.”

“Sorry,” Harry said, “I was just going to say that Master Sarisa taught me to respect Healers, and to do what I’m told to get better, and if I even thought about doing anything else, well, let’s just say she also taught me why Healers can also be scary too.”

“She sounds like a wise woman,” Tonks said, “and when next we meet, provided you don’t end up here again, you can call me Andy. In another lifetime, you might have called me Aunt Andy, if Sirius had- had raised you. The poor man was hopeless with you when you were a baby, the one time your parents let him babysit you, I ended up bringing my Dora over to their place to help him. He loved you, but just couldn’t figure out what to do when you cried.”

“I look forward to our next meeting then,” Harry said.

Tonks smiled again, more natural this time, “I’ll go check the lost and found for muggle clothes and get the potions box from the pharmacy for you take with you.”

“I’ll teach him how it works,” Abby replied with a nod.

“You’ll need to come back in before you go to Hogwarts to evaluate your vaccinations,” Tonks said.

“I’ll make the appointment by owl in a few days,” Miranda said.

Then Tonks was gone and silence descended on the room.

///…\\\\\

The trip to the Leaky Cauldron was interesting. Harry had never experienced any form of travel that was both that direct and unsettling. As he picked himself up off the floor of what turned out to be a dark and quite bar, he decided that the Floo must be an acquired taste and resolved to learn to use it effectively as quickly as possible. Warned ahead by Miranda to keep his head down and the hood of the large shirt that had been provided up, Harry kept close on the heels of his guide as they moved through the bar and through the front door.

The difference between the two spaces was jarring, like suddenly being transported from the Room of a Thousand Fountains into the heart of the night clubs that served the Senate District. Here were wheeled transports and all the signs of a, if not modern society, at least a precursor of what he would consider modern. Keeping on Miranda’s heels, Harry took in the spectacle that was London. Then they were taking a flight of stairs belowground and Harry wished he hadn’t agreed to let Abby take his small bundle of personal belongings with her.

He was surprised to see that this was a transit station. He might not know it specifically, but he recognized enough and hurried to keep up with Miranda. The place was busy and he didn’t want to get lost. It was a good thing too; they’d only just gotten into a car on the transit when the doors slid shut. Realizing there was no place to sit, Harry crowded close to Miranda and hung onto the bar she was using to stabilize herself.

“How are you doing?” Miranda asked softly.

“I have questions,” Harry replied, equally quietly, “but they’ll keep until we’ve reached your home.”

“You’re handling this better than some people,” Miranda said.

Harry glanced around a moment, “Not my first time using public transit, just, not the sort I’m used to.”

“I see,” Miranda said, and Harry got the feeling that she really did understand.

They switched from the underground train to an above ground one in an incredibly busy station. Miranda had taken his hand, and after a moment, Harry allowed himself to be so guided. As uncomfortable as he was by the touch, he could feel that she needed it, that something about the station was making her uneasy.

“What happens when we reach our stop?” Harry asked once the train had pulled out of the station.

“We’ll stop at one of the local shops and pick up a few pieces of clothing for you,” Miranda said. “Not much, but some pants and shirts, underclothes, that sort of thing. We’ll have to explain it to our neighbors though.”

“Why?” Harry asked, “It’s not their business.”

“It’s about the social circle and community,” Miranda said after a moment. “We need to stay in their good graces so they don’t question two women living together.”

“They don’t know,” Harry began, only to stop when Miranda shook her head at him.

“In the magical world, nobody cares, but out here in the non-magical world, it’s worse than frowned upon. So far as they all know, we’re co-workers who are sharing a house to save money. I’m Abby’s tenant as far as they’re concerned. I, well, I had a fake fiancé for a while, military type, but a friend helped me stage a break-up, so they’re keeping mum for now. Next year, we’ll have to figure out something else.”

Harry frowned, “I don’t understand, but I’ll keep my mouth shut about it to the neighbors. Not their business what goes on anyway.”

“Thank you,” Miranda said, giving him an odd look.

Harry considered, and realized that he probably sounded a lot older than he should. Still, he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to act, he hadn’t been 10 in years.

Thinking of his childhood, he realized he did have a suggestion, “Our cover, it should have some truth?” He said, and Miranda nodded. “Well, I was living with, with relatives. Maternal relatives. They passed away and so I had to come here.”

“Harry,” Miranda began.

Harry let some of his carefully buried grief come up, “It’s about what happened to us, save for there being no blood link. The people who raised and taught me, they were killed, betrayed, and I was told I had to come here, to go to that school.”

Miranda reached over and pressed her hand on his knee, “Well, we won’t go into that much detail, but I’m sure that’s something we could spin a story off of.”

Harry stared out the window as Miranda turned and pulled out their tickets as a railway worker came by. While the scenery outside was interesting, Harry found himself poking at his emotions. The grief was there, as deep as any ocean he’d ever encountered, but also, almost muffled. Like someone had put something in his mind that kept him from feeling everything. He prodded the barrier with a mental finger and flinched as it sent a mental shock out, as well as throwing off what could only be termed sparks.

Someone had messed with his brain. Given what he could remember of that world between the worlds, it had happened while he was dealing with the scenes from that portal. Along side the barrier on his emotional response to those scenes, he felt like someone had dumped a box of files in his mind with little regard to the organization he’d spent so long putting into place.

There was a long meditation session in his future, then, to sort it all out, and he some suspicions as to the source of that barrier. Not to mention the barely understandable assurance that there was someone he could trust, someone who’s name he couldn’t quite remember. He needed someone to trust, especially faced with two women who were clearly intent on claiming him as family. He hoped that one of them would be the person he was told to trust, but he didn’t think he had that much luck.


End file.
